Why do vets push Science Diet?

Discuss ways to improve the quality of your cat's life and longevity through proper nutrition; a place for all of your questions and answers about feeding your kitty!

Please keep discussions fun, friendly, and helpful at all times. Non-informative posts criticizing a particular brand or another poster's choice of food are not allowed in this Forum. References to any brand of food as "junk," "garbage," or other harsh names will be removed.

All kibble is the equivalent of fast food... it's a matter of choosing to eat at Burger King or Subway.

Science Diet uses several lower-grade ingredients to achieve nutritional adequacy. Brands such as Felidae use higher quality ingredients. However, both are manufactured in the same manner (burnt, extruded, and left to sit in a bag for months), voiding much of the nutritional value from higher quality ingredients.

I personally feed the higher quality brands (our favorites being Canidae/Felidae, Natural Balance, and Natura brands). But if your cats do well on Science Diet, I would not feel pressured to switch.

When one of my previous cats had kidney failure, my vet put her on a prescription Science Diet K/D formula. It was very expensive and only available through a vet. I started researching my kitty's condition and learned a lot about cat food/nutrition. I was shocked to find out that Science Diet had chicken-by-products (which actually makes the kidneys work harder!) and other ingredients that are not considered good for cats. The k/d formula did have benefits for kidney disease but overall it's not a high quality food. I think vets push Science Diet because it's one of the better lower-quality foods AND because they get a cut of all the prescription diet formulas they sell. A vet can't stock their shelves with prescription Science Diet and then tell you NOT to buy the regular stuff at the pet store! Anyway, we no longer go to that vet. I realized some of the advice he had given us was quite outdated. Just like with any profession, there are some people who are better at their jobs, more knowledgeable, etc. than others.

I recommend Innova EVO, Wellness, and if you must go with a less expensive and easier-to-find brand, Nutro Natural Choice.

In the '70s, Science Diet was the latest thing and highly recommended. Then somewhere along the line it was bought out by one of the conglomerates and is not the same. Also, as was mentioned, not all vets keep up with all things; similar to human doctors who don't know nutrition.
It is horrible, but the Food Scare got more humans looking at what was really in the food they gave their cats. Science Diet just isn't what it used to be!

Brady, another thing to remember is that sometimes the only nutritional info that vets get is through the food companies, and sometimes the food companies are the ones that fund the nutrition classes at vet schools!

The good news is that there are vets out there who are doing their own research on food as a part of their personal efforts to stay on top of their profession. I have heard many stories about vets who learned from their clients, too, so you see that we can help in the cause toward better feline health for all of us!

It's Stella. For a long time, for those of us out in the boonies, Science Diet was only available through your vet, it was expensive and your vet got a share of the profits. Sadly, our vet still only recommends the kinds of foods that he sells. We now have a Petco and have a much wider range of foods.

It doesn't do my person much good because I won't eat ANY kind of cat food mentioned as being good on this list. My person has tried all that she could get. I like cheap cat food, the cheaper the better, and I won't eat any canned food beyond one tablespoonful. I had been eating Iams for sensitive stomachs, which was one of the highest grades I had been willing to eat, plus it stopped my yurping. Last night she put out Eukanuba for sensitive stomachs and I am on a non-eating strike. $10 down the drain!